Ministry of Attorney General Releases Family Relations Act Consultation Report

April 17, 2009

BY British Columbia Law Institute

British Columbia’s Ministry of Attorney General has released its Family Relations Act Review: Report of Public Consultations. This report summarizes the responses the ministry received during public consultations on reform of the Family Relations Act held in 2007 and 2008. These consultations concerned comprehensive reform of most parts of the province’s main family law statute, addressing three BCLI projects in the process. These projects concerned division of pensions on marriage breakdown, parental support, and conflict of laws.

The report notes that respondents “generally agree that it would be helpful to clarify and simplify the pension division provisions in the Act,” and “almost unanimously agree that the provision allowing parents to claim support from their adult children should be removed from the Family Relations Act” as recommended by the BCLI. In addition, “several respondents” support adoption of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada’s Uniform Jurisdiction and Choice of Law Rules in Domestic Property Proceedings Act, as recommended by the BCLI.

For more information on the parental support project, please click here.

For more information on the choice of law rules in domestic property proceeding project, please click here.

British Columbia’s Ministry of Attorney General has released its Family Relations Act Review: Report of Public Consultations. This report summarizes the responses the ministry received during public consultations on reform of the Family Relations Act held in 2007 and 2008. These consultations concerned comprehensive reform of most parts of the province’s main family law statute, addressing three BCLI projects in the process. These projects concerned division of pensions on marriage breakdown, parental support, and conflict of laws.

The report notes that respondents “generally agree that it would be helpful to clarify and simplify the pension division provisions in the Act,” and “almost unanimously agree that the provision allowing parents to claim support from their adult children should be removed from the Family Relations Act” as recommended by the BCLI. In addition, “several respondents” support adoption of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada’s Uniform Jurisdiction and Choice of Law Rules in Domestic Property Proceedings Act, as recommended by the BCLI.

For more information on the parental support project, please click here.

For more information on the choice of law rules in domestic property proceeding project, please click here.